George
Whitmore (September 27, 1945 – April 19, 1989) was an American playwright,
novelist, and poet. He also wrote non-fiction accounts about homosexuality and
AIDS.Partner Michael Canter
George
Whitmore (September 27, 1945 – April 19, 1989) was an American playwright,
novelist, and poet. He also wrote non-fiction accounts about homosexuality and
AIDS.
George Whitmore was born on September 27, 1945, in Denver, Colorado.[1][2] His parents were Lowell Whitmore and Irene Davis.[1]
Whitmore graduated from MacMurray College in 1967, where he "received a BA degree in English and Theatre", and he attended graduate school at Bennington College for one year.[1]
A conscientious objector during the Vietnam War, Whitmore chose to work at Planned Parenthood in New York City (1968-1972) in lieu of military service. He then worked at the Citizens Housing and Planning Council of New York City from 1972 to 1981.[1]
Whitmore emerged as an author in the context of the early gay literary movement that emerged in New York during the 1960s and 1970s. He wrote two books of poetry, three plays, and three novels.[1][3] He also wrote for The New York Times Magazine,[2] the New York Native, and Christopher Street.[1] He was also the "contributing editor and literary critic" at The Advocate from 1974 to 1976.[1]
Tennessee Williams, during an interview with George Whitmore in 1976, when asked the question, ‘Do you think there is any such thing as a homosexual conspiracy in the theater?’ had replied, ‘In England, under H.M. Tennent, the theater was dominated by great homosexual talents. H.M. Tennent was one of the leading producers of London’s West End Theater. And I think Binky Beaumont did exercise a considerable tyranny … I think the theater was, in London [in the 1940s and 1950s], dominated by homosexuals, mainly because they offered the most talent. They don’t anymore.’ Whitmore prompted him: ‘Of course there are innumerable homosexual producers in New York’, to which Williams unhelpfully replied, ‘Probably. I don’t know. I’m not interested in the sex lives of producers. They’re not attractive enough to interest me.’
Photo by
Robert Giard, Rights Notice: Copyright Jonathan G. Silin (jsilin@optonline.net)
The Northern Dispensary
Whitmore was a member of The Violet Quill,[4] the Gay Academic Union, and Gay Men's Health Crisis.[2]
Whitmore lived in Manhattan, and his longtime companion was Michael Canter.[2][3] He died on April 19, 1989, at the New York University Medical Center.[3]
My published books:
